This ‘Thinking Trap’ Has Tanked Too Many Businesses Already. (Here’s How YOU Can Avoid It…)

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There is a mind trap we see all too often that looks like this...

A business launches because of a great idea by the founder. Then the business goes out to look for who that idea can serve.?

It should be the opposite. That’s why this week’s #MarketingandSalesEssentials is all about the one thing that determines the success of your business: the client’s need.

Every business needs to start with the client in mind and then formulate the products and services the client needs and wants, not the other way around.

You may be familiar with the quote somewhat dubiously attributed to Henry Ford, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

And while it may be true that the client may not yet know what they need or want by name, the only way to determine what they need is by getting out into the world and talking with them to understand their pain and their decision-making process.

This is true whether you are a brand-new startup looking for your first client...?

Or you're ready to scale and grow aggressively…

Or just need to maintain your place in the market.

You need to get out and speak with your customers or potential customers. In fact, doing so is a NECESSITY for any business.

How Can Businesses Possibly Forget About The Client?

There are many reasons people fall into this way of thinking that they know what’s better for their prospects than the prospect does or that they can rely on research and trends reports to spot opportunities alone.

These days we’re often sold on the promise of automation, or the impact of big data on decision-making, or the idea of creating products that generate passive income, and the whole idea of making money while you sleep…

If you’re not careful, all of that can easily remove you from your end-users. They become names and numbers on a spreadsheet. This is the gap the savviest business owners take advantage of and pull ahead of the competition…

They know that the number one thing that will allow you to write better marketing and sales copy, fix up your sales process, and create better products and services is simply speaking with your prospects and customers.

It might not always be your role to directly speak with every customer or client, but as the CEO or Founder, it is absolutely on you to prioritize it and help your team work through it.?

The knowledge that you and your team gain will allow you to understand your clients better. This enables you to adjust your messaging and positioning in a way that better attracts them and connects with them. It’s easier to build trust and to give them exactly what they want.

You might be familiar with the most dangerous phrase in business, “This is the way it's always been done.” Don’t fall into the way of thinking that you know what’s best for your clients and customers without a strong line of communication set-up between them and your company… even if you’ve been working with them for some time. This is even more crucial for CEOs and company founders once their business grows. That’s because in most cases, they started out knowing the client pretty well. They know exactly how to help them and they are able to explain things in a way that their clients understand.?

The danger comes as the business grows, it’s easy to rely on your teams but without setting the priority of maintaining open communication with your clients throughout the company, you’ll fall behind your competitors soon enough.?

This results in a disconnect that can make a big difference down the road, similar to how a small initial change, even a one-degree deviation in a plane’s trajectory can turn into a dramatic change of course over large distances.?

Small differences in how one views and understands their clients, can be avoided when you make it a priority to get feedback from the frontlines, talk to your clients, understand why they are looking for services like yours, what they like, what they don’t like and what a difference your services will make to their lives. This should be applied to anything you do in sales, marketing, or product development. Always ask this question:

“How can we make this process more relevant to our customers?”

Appreciate this post? You probably know others who need to read it as well. For more quick tips and marketing insights, help us grow the #MarketingandSalesEssentials and share this post with your network now.

Just hit share on this post and then jump into the comments to answer how you prioritize in your business the need to communicate early and often with your customers.